No Nursing Shortage At The Present Time
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I am assured that some of you are reading this and saying to yourselves, "Duh! This topic is old hat. We already know there's a glut of nurses in many parts of the country, so why are you writing... Read More

Okay, I'll add another theory (though it is not mine originally by any means)

There never was a shortage, not in the last couple of decades anyway. There was at one time a shortage of nurses willing to work in the conditions that were available. Many of them changed their minds quickly when their spouses suddenly didn't have good jobs. "Heck, I can always go full-time at my hospital!"

What changed a few years ago was that we stopped the natural out-flow of nurses from the job market, the disillusioned, the now well-married, the new moms. All these nurses didn't leave like the usually do. Also the previously mentioned ready-to-retire nurses that are putting it off due to the financial situation.

I'm pretty sure that in 2020 we will be in a world of hurt for nurses. We will continue to have these crazy fluctuations as long as nursing has this huge population of nurses that sit on the sidelines. In 2020, when the shortage hits, (I'm pretty sure it will) the powers that be will have to find ways to coax the nurses that are choosing not to work back into the work force.

But the real problem is that we never did have a real nursing shortage.

Okay, I'll add another theory (though it is not mine originally by any means)

There never was a shortage, not in the last couple of decades anyway. There was at one time a shortage of nurses willing to work in the conditions that were available. Many of them changed their minds quickly when their spouses suddenly didn't have good jobs. "Heck, I can always go full-time at my hospital!"

What changed a few years ago was that we stopped the natural out-flow of nurses from the job market, the disillusioned, the now well-married, the new moms. All these nurses didn't leave like the usually do. Also the previously mentioned ready-to-retire nurses that are putting it off due to the financial situation.

I'm pretty sure that in 2020 we will be in a world of hurt for nurses. We will continue to have these crazy fluctuations as long as nursing has this huge population of nurses that sit on the sidelines. In 2020, when the shortage hits, (I'm pretty sure it will) the powers that be will have to find ways to coax the nurses that are choosing not to work back into the work force.

But the real problem is that we never did have a real nursing shortage.

Tiffany, you make a really good and interesting point. Different way of looking at the issue and - for my sake (nursing student) - I HOPE you're right!!

"No educated professional with a hard-won BSN or MSN is going to want to wipe butt."

After two baccalaureate degrees, I chose an MSN as my entry into nursing. While wiping butts is far from my favorite chore, it's all part of the job.

I guess I challenge your fundamental assertion... though the truth is, it'd be a pretty inefficient system that would have nurses spending much time with basic ADLs, given how much other work cannot be delegated.

So what is the ultimate fate of those 36% (or 43% in CA) of RN's who have been unable to find nursing jobs for a year or more? Conventional nursing wisdom says that new nurses have a "golden year" after graduation in which to find jobs or risk being unemployable as RN's. Could it be that more than one-third (or apparently more than 40% in some areas) of nursing students are essentially out of luck in terms of their career choice? If so, given that the actual cost to train a new RN generally significantly exceeds the tuition and fees paid by the student, we are are squandering a huge amount of money. That however pales in comparison to the staggering waste of human potential such a scenario represents.

What will these "non-practicing" RN's do in the long run if a career in nursing is no longer open to them? Can it truly be the case with such large - and growing - numbers of trained but unemployed RN's out there, that there is truly a nursing shortage looming? Are we as a country willing to accept a "lost generation" of unemployable nurses?

Not trying to stir the pot but would like to add that merely holding a nice crisp new nursing license does not automatically equal employment.

More and more facilities are moving away from the warm body approach regardless of local supply of nurses. Landing a gig today regardless if one has nil to decades of experience often requires running a gauntlet of interviews and exams.

Just as with most other businesses facilities are looking for the proper "fit" in potential new hires. So as there are those with say teaching degrees that never will see full or any employment in education, law degrees that never will land a top or middle tier legal position, and so forth there probably are going to be newly licensed nurses that never reach full or even part time facility employment.

So what is the ultimate fate of those 36% (or 43% in CA) of RN's who have been unable to find nursing jobs for a year or more? Conventional nursing wisdom says that new nurses have a "golden year" after graduation in which to find jobs or risk being unemployable as RN's. Could it be that more than one-third (or apparently more than 40% in some areas) of nursing students are essentially out of luck in terms of their career choice? If so, given that the actual cost to train a new RN generally significantly exceeds the tuition and fees paid by the student, we are are squandering a huge amount of money. That however pales in comparison to the staggering waste of human potential such a scenario represents.

What will these "non-practicing" RN's do in the long run if a career in nursing is no longer open to them? Can it truly be the case with such large - and growing - numbers of trained but unemployed RN's out there, that there is truly a nursing shortage looming? Are we as a country willing to accept a "lost generation" of unemployable nurses?

This worries me, too. It's already a waste to have so many talented and educated people not be able to use and hone their skills - but the business of healthcare being what it is, there will be little desire to hire these "stale new grads" if the mass exodus of baby boomer nurses occurs. I'm sure that if the experts made it a goal to help these people through a low/no cost supplementary refresher course or some form of loan repayment deferrals, or a government sponsored public service corps or . . .(just brainstorming a bit there) it could help avert a crisis that is personal for them and a waste of public funding if they took out a lot of student loans.

The only viable advice at this point is to use the time to go back to school for an advanced degree - but that is not possible for a lot of people who stretched things to the breaking point to get that "recession-proof" job in the first place. It's like the perfect storm of awful for them.

Now...with the passing of "obamacare" does one think the demand for nurses to increase?

i "was" a nursing student, but i switched for cardiac sonograpgher ...i hope im doing right thing

Hell, I have considered the same thing. Even though nursing is my top choice, us nursing hopefuls might have to except there is nothing left for us and move on. I am sure the next shortage will get filled even quicker than the last, and you have to consider that the surplus of nursing students looking for jobs will surely snap those up before all the people in nursing school even graduate that year. It's almost like you have to be at the exactly right place at the exact right time or atleast have an "in". A lot of people forget why they are going to college in the first place: To get a degree that intern will get them a job. I myself leave my major open to include "physician assistant" because it has the benefit of having a lot of similarities to advance practice nursing without having to worry about obtaining experience before you get to that point. It makes me sad too, because nursing was my motivation to go to college in the first place.

yup, no shortage of nurses, just those that would accept the crap conditions. So employers got the government to allow importing nurses, which caused schools to be set up for exactly that purpose in other countries. this depressed the wage here. It is my personal opinion that EVERY single nursing school should stop teaching for a year. then alternate semesters for a couple more. that would sort out some of this mess.

Okay, I'll add another theory (though it is not mine originally by any means)

There never was a shortage, not in the last couple of decades anyway. There was at one time a shortage of nurses willing to work in the conditions that were available. Many of them changed their minds quickly when their spouses suddenly didn't have good jobs. "Heck, I can always go full-time at my hospital!"

What changed a few years ago was that we stopped the natural out-flow of nurses from the job market, the disillusioned, the now well-married, the new moms. All these nurses didn't leave like the usually do. Also the previously mentioned ready-to-retire nurses that are putting it off due to the financial situation.

I'm pretty sure that in 2020 we will be in a world of hurt for nurses. We will continue to have these crazy fluctuations as long as nursing has this huge population of nurses that sit on the sidelines. In 2020, when the shortage hits, (I'm pretty sure it will) the powers that be will have to find ways to coax the nurses that are choosing not to work back into the work force.

But the real problem is that we never did have a real nursing shortage.

I think in the end this will all play out a little more optimistically that stated however I do agree that a nursing degree or license should never ever be considered a guaranteed ticket to a job more like a lottery ticket and your luck is going to depend on the payout and how many people are playing.

A new grad is an expense that no one is going to want to pay until the supply of "ready to go" nurses drops below the demand level.

I think in the end this will all play out a little more optimistically that stated however I do agree that a nursing degree or license should never ever be considered a guaranteed ticket to a job more like a lottery ticket and your luck is going to depend on the payout and how many people are playing.

A new grad is an expense that no one is going to want to pay until the supply of "ready to go" nurses drops below the demand level.

Yeabut my biggest fear is by that time facilities will be well on their way to finding ways to staff with less nurses by using more (and cheaper) UAPs.

Then there is the very real push to get as much of healthcare out of hospitals and into community based settings such as ambulatory and home care. Obamacare pushes things more in this direction (hence all that funding for AP nurses), but it does not bode well for those seeking hospital gigs.

i'm one of those extremely stale grads, circa 2008. i don't consider myself unemployable, just can't get an interview to sell myself. i've gone back to school to get that covetted bsn and try to keep up to date on ce's and go to local nursing association meetings in the areas of interest. networking has been a bust since everyone i've met work for one hospital system and can't seem to get you an in. i even met the asst nurse manager for my "dream" unit, she had me email me her resume to forward to the manager...nada. now i am applying out of my home state again in hopes that somewhere i can get something, even though i cannot really afford to relocate.

i do a lot of reading to keep myself up to date on things, but i'm beginning to not understand all what i'm reading and honestly don't know who to ask without sounding dumb or getting the "it will make more sense when you are working".

i also read on another forum that there are places that will hire new grads and welcome them, unfortunately some have stopped hiring non-local grads. they feel that hiring from outside the area hurts retention and will only hire those from the schools local to them since most out of town/state grads will return to their home state as soon as they get enough experience to do so.

If the patients are moving out into the community then the nurses will just have to follow them. All I have done since I graduated is community based healthcare : Home health / Ambulatory Care / Hospice because thats where the jobs are. Would I like to be elsewhere? Well sure but I'll adapt to where I'm wanted.

I am training for my first hospital job (finally!!) after a year and a half after graduating. I took care of a former nursing instructor last week. She was shocked when I told her it took me 9 months to get a LTC job and a year and a half to get into a hospital. I hope she tell the school that....the school just expanded it nursing department.